Nutrient table · IFCT 2017 · ICMR-NIN 2020

Magnesium content of Indian foods

Per 100 g, cumin seeds top IFCT 2017 for magnesium at 442 mg, with sunflower seeds at 413 mg, poppy seeds at 393 mg and sesame at 390 mg. Among foods eaten by the bowl, rajgira gives 325 mg, almond 318 mg, soya bean 259 mg and cowpea 213 mg. Adults need 440 mg (men) and 370 mg (women) of magnesium a day under ICMR-NIN 2020.

01The nutrient

What magnesium does, and where Indian diets stand

Magnesium takes part in more than three hundred enzyme reactions. It helps turn food into energy, keeps muscles and nerves working, supports a steady heartbeat and, with calcium and vitamin D, keeps bones strong. Most of the body's magnesium sits in bone and muscle, and only a little circulates in the blood.

Whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds and green leaves are the main sources, so Indian diets built on these do well. Shortfalls come when meals lean on polished rice, maida and sugar, because milling strips away the magnesium-rich bran and germ. Long-term use of some medicines, heavy drinking and poorly controlled diabetes also drain magnesium.

This table ranks 242 foods in IFCT 2017 by magnesium per 100 g. Seeds and spices hold the first places, then come rajgira, almond and cashew, followed by soya, cowpea, moth bean and rice bean among the pulses. Fresh fruit, milk and watery vegetables sit at the bottom, under 10 mg per 100 g.

02The full table

All 242 foods ranked by magnesium

Per 100 g of the edible portion, highest first. The last two columns show the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers.

Indian foods ranked by magnesium per 100 g
Rank	Food	Group	Per 100 g	Man's daily need	Woman's daily need
1	Cumin seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	442 mg	100%	119%
2	Sunflower seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	413 mg	94%	112%
3	Poppy seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	393 mg	89%	106%
4	Sesame seeds (til)	Nuts and oilseeds	390 mg	89%	105%
5	Flaxseeds (alsi)	Nuts and oilseeds	349 mg	79%	94%
6	Niger seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	346 mg	79%	94%
7	Coriander seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	343 mg	78%	93%
8	Cloves	Spices, herbs and condiments	334 mg	76%	90%
9	Cardamom	Spices, herbs and condiments	330 mg	75%	89%
10	Amaranth seed (rajgira)	Cereals and millets	325 mg	74%	88%
11	Safflower seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	321 mg	73%	87%
12	Almond	Nuts and oilseeds	318 mg	72%	86%
13	Cashew nut	Nuts and oilseeds	307 mg	70%	83%
14	Garden cress seeds (halim)	Nuts and oilseeds	307 mg	70%	83%
15	Ajwain (carom seeds)	Spices, herbs and condiments	273 mg	62%	74%
16	Pine nuts (chilgoza)	Nuts and oilseeds	268 mg	61%	72%
17	Mustard seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	266 mg	60%	72%
18	Turmeric powder	Spices, herbs and condiments	260 mg	59%	70%
19	Soya bean	Pulses and legumes	259 mg	59%	70%
20	Cowpea (lobia)	Pulses and legumes	213 mg	48%	58%
21	Nutmeg	Spices, herbs and condiments	212 mg	48%	57%
22	Mace	Spices, herbs and condiments	207 mg	47%	56%
23	Moth bean (matki)	Pulses and legumes	205 mg	47%	55%
24	Amaranth spinosus	Green leafy vegetables	202 mg	46%	55%
25	Rice bean	Pulses and legumes	201 mg	46%	54%
26	Field bean (dry)	Pulses and legumes	197 mg	45%	53%
27	Peanuts (groundnut)	Nuts and oilseeds	197 mg	45%	53%
28	Black pepper	Spices, herbs and condiments	196 mg	45%	53%
29	Amaranth leaves (chaulai)	Green leafy vegetables	194 mg	44%	52%
30	Pippali (long pepper)	Spices, herbs and condiments	189 mg	43%	51%
31	Curry leaves	Spices, herbs and condiments	182 mg	41%	49%
32	Walnut	Nuts and oilseeds	180 mg	41%	49%
33	Black gram (urad)	Pulses and legumes	173 mg	39%	47%
34	Rajma (red kidney beans)	Pulses and legumes	173 mg	39%	47%
35	Fenugreek seeds (methi dana)	Spices, herbs and condiments	167 mg	38%	45%
36	Green gram (moong)	Pulses and legumes	155 mg	35%	42%
37	Basella leaves	Green leafy vegetables	153 mg	35%	41%
38	Horse gram (kulthi)	Pulses and legumes	152 mg	35%	41%
39	Pistachio	Nuts and oilseeds	149 mg	34%	40%
40	Ragi (finger millet)	Cereals and millets	146 mg	33%	39%
41	Maize (corn)	Cereals and millets	145 mg	33%	39%
42	Oyster mushroom (dried)	Vegetables and mushrooms	136 mg	31%	37%
43	Jowar (sorghum)	Cereals and millets	133 mg	30%	36%
44	Wheat (whole, suji and dalia)	Cereals and millets	125 mg	28%	34%
45	Wheat flour (atta and maida)	Cereals and millets	125 mg	28%	34%
46	Bajra (pearl millet)	Cereals and millets	124 mg	28%	34%
47	Dried peas	Pulses and legumes	123 mg	28%	33%
48	Varagu millet	Cereals and millets	122 mg	28%	33%
49	Beet greens	Green leafy vegetables	120 mg	27%	32%
50	Quinoa	Cereals and millets	119 mg	27%	32%
51	Red gram (toor or arhar)	Pulses and legumes	119 mg	27%	32%
52	Bengal gram (chana)	Pulses and legumes	118 mg	27%	32%
53	Jaggery	Sugars and natural drinks	115 mg	26%	31%
54	Mint leaves	Spices, herbs and condiments	110 mg	25%	30%
55	Betel leaves	Green leafy vegetables	107 mg	24%	29%
56	Whole masoor (lentil)	Pulses and legumes	101 mg	23%	27%
57	Agathi leaves	Green leafy vegetables	97 mg	22%	26%
58	Coconut	Nuts and oilseeds	97 mg	22%	26%
59	Drumstick leaves (moringa)	Green leafy vegetables	97 mg	22%	26%
60	Asafoetida (hing)	Spices, herbs and condiments	96 mg	22%	26%
61	Samai (little millet)	Cereals and millets	91 mg	21%	25%
62	Spinach	Green leafy vegetables	87 mg	20%	24%
63	Pumpkin leaves	Green leafy vegetables	84 mg	19%	23%
64	Gongura (gogu) leaves	Green leafy vegetables	83 mg	19%	22%
65	Tamarind	Fruits	83 mg	19%	22%
66	Cluster beans (gawar)	Vegetables and mushrooms	82 mg	19%	22%
67	Ponnaganni	Green leafy vegetables	80 mg	18%	22%
68	Garden cress leaves	Green leafy vegetables	79 mg	18%	21%
69	Poha (rice flakes)	Cereals and millets	78 mg	18%	21%
70	Phalsa	Fruits	77 mg	18%	21%
71	Masoor dal (red lentil)	Pulses and legumes	75 mg	17%	20%
72	Clam	Fish and seafood	74 mg	17%	20%
73	Dates	Fruits	74 mg	17%	20%
74	Coriander leaves	Spices, herbs and condiments	73 mg	17%	20%
75	Spring onion	Vegetables and mushrooms	67 mg	15%	18%
76	Knol-khol leaves	Green leafy vegetables	66 mg	15%	18%
77	Okra (bhindi)	Vegetables and mushrooms	66 mg	15%	18%
78	Puffed rice (murmura)	Cereals and millets	65 mg	15%	18%
79	Fenugreek leaves (methi)	Green leafy vegetables	64 mg	15%	17%
80	Colocasia leaves (arbi patta)	Green leafy vegetables	59 mg	13%	16%
81	Khoa (mawa)	Milk and dairy	59 mg	13%	16%
82	Radish leaves	Green leafy vegetables	58 mg	13%	16%
83	Tender red gram (fresh toor)	Vegetables and mushrooms	57 mg	13%	15%
84	Water Chestnut	Roots and tubers	57 mg	13%	15%
85	Ginger	Spices, herbs and condiments	55 mg	13%	15%
86	Anchovy	Fish and seafood	53 mg	12%	14%
87	Mustard leaves (sarson)	Green leafy vegetables	52 mg	12%	14%
88	Field beans (fresh pods)	Vegetables and mushrooms	51 mg	12%	14%
89	Octopus	Fish and seafood	51 mg	12%	14%
90	Barley	Cereals and millets	49 mg	11%	13%
91	Parsley	Green leafy vegetables	49 mg	11%	13%
92	Avocado	Fruits	48 mg	11%	13%
93	Bathua leaves	Green leafy vegetables	48 mg	11%	13%
94	Rumex leaves	Green leafy vegetables	48 mg	11%	13%
95	Mud crab	Fish and seafood	47 mg	11%	13%
96	Tiger prawns	Fish and seafood	46 mg	10%	12%
97	Lobster	Fish and seafood	45 mg	10%	12%
98	Pak Choi leaves	Green leafy vegetables	45 mg	10%	12%
99	Scarlet runner bean	Vegetables and mushrooms	44 mg	10%	12%
100	French beans	Vegetables and mushrooms	43 mg	10%	12%
101	Lettuce	Green leafy vegetables	43 mg	10%	12%
102	Cauliflower leaves	Green leafy vegetables	42 mg	10%	11%
103	Freshwater Eel	Fish and seafood	42 mg	10%	11%
104	Squid	Fish and seafood	42 mg	10%	11%
105	Tamarind leaves	Green leafy vegetables	42 mg	10%	11%
106	Broad beans	Vegetables and mushrooms	40 mg	9%	11%
107	Green peas (fresh)	Vegetables and mushrooms	40 mg	9%	11%
108	Matha	Fish and seafood	40 mg	9%	11%
109	Prawns	Fish and seafood	39 mg	9%	11%
110	Crab	Fish and seafood	38 mg	9%	10%
111	Custard apple (sitaphal)	Fruits	38 mg	9%	10%
112	Drumstick (moringa pods)	Vegetables and mushrooms	38 mg	9%	10%
113	Colocasia root (arbi)	Roots and tubers	37 mg	8%	10%
114	Mackerel	Fish and seafood	37 mg	8%	10%
115	Mango ginger (amba haldi)	Spices, herbs and condiments	37 mg	8%	10%
116	Moon fish	Fish and seafood	37 mg	8%	10%
117	Seer fish (vanjaram)	Fish and seafood	37 mg	8%	10%
118	Plantain (raw banana)	Vegetables and mushrooms	36 mg	8%	10%
119	Tuna	Fish and seafood	36 mg	8%	10%
120	Banana	Fruits	35 mg	8%	9%
121	Chillies (green and red)	Spices, herbs and condiments	35 mg	8%	9%
122	Milk fish	Fish and seafood	35 mg	8%	9%
123	Bael	Fruits	34 mg	8%	9%
124	Mullet	Fish and seafood	34 mg	8%	9%
125	Raisins	Fruits	34 mg	8%	9%
126	Yam (suran)	Roots and tubers	34 mg	8%	9%
127	Beet root	Roots and tubers	33 mg	8%	9%
128	Brussels sprouts	Green leafy vegetables	33 mg	8%	9%
129	Manila tamarind (jungle jalebi)	Fruits	33 mg	8%	9%
130	Red snapper	Fish and seafood	33 mg	8%	9%
131	Shark	Fish and seafood	33 mg	8%	9%
132	Bitter gourd (karela)	Vegetables and mushrooms	32 mg	7%	9%
133	Jackfruit (ripe)	Fruits	32 mg	7%	9%
134	Rabbit	Meat, poultry and eggs	32 mg	7%	9%
135	Black berry	Fruits	31 mg	7%	8%
136	Chembali	Fish and seafood	31 mg	7%	8%
137	Hilsa (ilish)	Fish and seafood	31 mg	7%	8%
138	Quail	Meat, poultry and eggs	31 mg	7%	8%
139	Salmon	Fish and seafood	31 mg	7%	8%
140	Rani	Fish and seafood	30 mg	7%	8%
141	Parrot fish	Fish and seafood	29 mg	7%	8%
142	Pigeon	Meat, poultry and eggs	29 mg	7%	8%
143	Jamun	Fruits	28 mg	6%	8%
144	Karimeen (pearl spot)	Fish and seafood	28 mg	6%	8%
145	Pomfret	Fish and seafood	28 mg	6%	8%
146	Queen fish	Fish and seafood	28 mg	6%	8%
147	Sole fish	Fish and seafood	28 mg	6%	8%
148	Black snapper	Fish and seafood	27 mg	6%	7%
149	Garlic	Spices, herbs and condiments	27 mg	6%	7%
150	Lotus root (kamal kakdi)	Roots and tubers	27 mg	6%	7%
151	Paneer	Milk and dairy	27 mg	6%	7%
152	Raw jackfruit	Vegetables and mushrooms	27 mg	6%	7%
153	Rohu	Fish and seafood	27 mg	6%	7%
154	Catla	Fish and seafood	26 mg	6%	7%
155	Duck	Meat, poultry and eggs	26 mg	6%	7%
156	Fig	Fruits	26 mg	6%	7%
157	Turkey	Meat, poultry and eggs	26 mg	6%	7%
158	Baby corn	Vegetables and mushrooms	25 mg	6%	7%
159	Country chicken (desi)	Meat, poultry and eggs	25 mg	6%	7%
160	Emu	Meat, poultry and eggs	25 mg	6%	7%
161	Pangas	Fish and seafood	25 mg	6%	7%
162	Pointed gourd (parwal)	Vegetables and mushrooms	25 mg	6%	7%
163	Silver carp	Fish and seafood	25 mg	6%	7%
164	Tilapia	Fish and seafood	25 mg	6%	7%
165	Bhetki (barramundi)	Fish and seafood	24 mg	5%	6%
166	Bombay duck	Fish and seafood	24 mg	5%	6%
167	Karonda	Fruits	24 mg	5%	6%
168	Potato	Roots and tubers	24 mg	5%	6%
169	Sardine	Fish and seafood	24 mg	5%	6%
170	Shiitake mushroom	Vegetables and mushrooms	24 mg	5%	6%
171	Wood apple (kaitha)	Fruits	24 mg	5%	6%
172	Cauliflower	Vegetables and mushrooms	23 mg	5%	6%
173	Kalava	Fish and seafood	23 mg	5%	6%
174	Silan	Fish and seafood	23 mg	5%	6%
175	Tapioca (cassava)	Roots and tubers	23 mg	5%	6%
176	Oyster	Fish and seafood	22 mg	5%	6%
177	Brinjal (baingan)	Vegetables and mushrooms	21 mg	5%	6%
178	Goat meat (mutton)	Meat, poultry and eggs	21 mg	5%	6%
179	Guinea fowl	Meat, poultry and eggs	21 mg	5%	6%
180	Rambutan	Fruits	21 mg	5%	6%
181	Sheep meat (lamb)	Meat, poultry and eggs	21 mg	5%	6%
182	Ash gourd (petha)	Vegetables and mushrooms	20 mg	5%	5%
183	Chicken (broiler)	Meat, poultry and eggs	20 mg	5%	5%
184	Cucumber	Vegetables and mushrooms	20 mg	5%	5%
185	Ivy gourd (kundru)	Vegetables and mushrooms	20 mg	5%	5%
186	Catfish	Fish and seafood	19 mg	4%	5%
187	Knol-khol (kohlrabi)	Vegetables and mushrooms	19 mg	4%	5%
188	Rice	Cereals and millets	19 mg	4%	5%
189	Snake gourd	Vegetables and mushrooms	19 mg	4%	5%
190	Tinda (round gourd)	Vegetables and mushrooms	19 mg	4%	5%
191	Button mushroom	Vegetables and mushrooms	18 mg	4%	5%
192	Cabbage	Green leafy vegetables	18 mg	4%	5%
193	Coconut water	Sugars and natural drinks	18 mg	4%	5%
194	Onion	Spices, herbs and condiments	18 mg	4%	5%
195	Raw mango	Vegetables and mushrooms	18 mg	4%	5%
196	Soursop	Fruits	18 mg	4%	5%
197	Ber (Indian jujube)	Fruits	17 mg	4%	5%
198	Carrot	Roots and tubers	17 mg	4%	5%
199	Celery stalk	Vegetables and mushrooms	17 mg	4%	5%
200	Currants	Fruits	17 mg	4%	5%
201	Sweet potato	Roots and tubers	17 mg	4%	5%
202	Chicken liver and gizzard	Meat, poultry and eggs	16 mg	4%	4%
203	Chikoo (sapota)	Fruits	16 mg	4%	4%
204	Ridge gourd (turai)	Vegetables and mushrooms	16 mg	4%	4%
205	Strawberry	Fruits	16 mg	4%	4%
206	Guava	Fruits	15 mg	3%	4%
207	Litchi	Fruits	15 mg	3%	4%
208	Pork	Meat, poultry and eggs	15 mg	3%	4%
209	Raw papaya	Vegetables and mushrooms	15 mg	3%	4%
210	Sweet lime (mosambi)	Fruits	15 mg	3%	4%
211	Zucchini	Vegetables and mushrooms	15 mg	3%	4%
212	Apricot (dried and processed)	Fruits	14 mg	3%	4%
213	Cherries	Fruits	14 mg	3%	4%
214	Tomato	Vegetables and mushrooms	14 mg	3%	4%
215	Chow chow (chayote)	Vegetables and mushrooms	13 mg	3%	4%
216	Mango	Fruits	13 mg	3%	4%
217	Pineapple	Fruits	13 mg	3%	4%
218	Pumpkin	Vegetables and mushrooms	13 mg	3%	4%
219	Radish	Roots and tubers	13 mg	3%	4%
220	Sugarcane	Sugars and natural drinks	13 mg	3%	4%
221	Capsicum	Vegetables and mushrooms	12 mg	3%	3%
222	Egg	Meat, poultry and eggs	12 mg	3%	3%
223	Mangosteen	Fruits	12 mg	3%	3%
224	Muskmelon	Fruits	12 mg	3%	3%
225	Star fruit	Fruits	12 mg	3%	3%
226	Bottle gourd (lauki)	Vegetables and mushrooms	11 mg	3%	3%
227	Chicken mushroom	Vegetables and mushrooms	11 mg	3%	3%
228	Colocasia stem	Vegetables and mushrooms	11 mg	3%	3%
229	Orange	Fruits	11 mg	3%	3%
230	Papaya	Fruits	11 mg	3%	3%
231	Pomegranate	Fruits	11 mg	3%	3%
232	Watermelon	Fruits	10 mg	2%	3%
233	Lemon (juice)	Fruits	9 mg	2%	2%
234	Apple	Fruits	8 mg	2%	2%
235	Bamboo shoot	Vegetables and mushrooms	8 mg	2%	2%
236	Milk	Milk and dairy	8 mg	2%	2%
237	Peach	Fruits	8 mg	2%	2%
238	Pear	Fruits	8 mg	2%	2%
239	Plum	Fruits	8 mg	2%	2%
240	Grapes	Fruits	7 mg	2%	2%
241	Pomelo	Fruits	7 mg	2%	2%
242	Amla (Indian gooseberry)	Fruits	6 mg	1%	2%

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily needs: ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (brief note).

Cite this page

NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Magnesium content of Indian foods. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/nutrients/magnesium/

03Vegetarian sources

The top vegetarian sources of magnesium

Top vegetarian sources of magnesium per 100 g
Food	Group	Per 100 g
Cumin seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	442 mg
Sunflower seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	413 mg
Poppy seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	393 mg
Sesame seeds (til)	Nuts and oilseeds	390 mg
Flaxseeds (alsi)	Nuts and oilseeds	349 mg
Niger seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	346 mg
Coriander seeds	Spices, herbs and condiments	343 mg
Cloves	Spices, herbs and condiments	334 mg
Cardamom	Spices, herbs and condiments	330 mg
Amaranth seed (rajgira)	Cereals and millets	325 mg
Safflower seeds	Nuts and oilseeds	321 mg
Almond	Nuts and oilseeds	318 mg
Cashew nut	Nuts and oilseeds	307 mg
Garden cress seeds (halim)	Nuts and oilseeds	307 mg
Ajwain (carom seeds)	Spices, herbs and condiments	273 mg

04How much you need

Magnesium requirements for Indians

ICMR-NIN 2020 sets the recommended magnesium intake at 440 mg a day for a 65 kg man and 370 mg a day for a 55 kg woman. The estimated average requirements for magnesium are 370 mg and 310 mg. These are among the larger mineral targets, which is why the type of grain eaten every day matters so much.

Magnesium from food is not a concern for healthy kidneys, which pass out any excess. Supplements and magnesium-containing antacids or laxatives are a different matter, and people with kidney disease should use them only on a doctor's advice.

05Using the table

From a table to a plate

All values are per 100 g of raw food. A spoon of cumin weighs only a few grams, so it adds little magnesium to a curry, while a bowl of whole dal or a millet roti adds far more because of the amount eaten. Cooking rice in plenty of water and draining it loses some minerals. Phytate in whole grains binds part of their magnesium, but whole grains still deliver more than refined ones.

Choose whole grains such as rajgira, bajra, jowar and chakki atta over polished rice and maida for most meals.
Keep a jar of mixed seeds, such as sunflower, flax and sesame, to sprinkle over breakfast and salads.
Add a whole pulse daily: cowpea, moth bean, rice bean, soya or whole moong.
Snack on a small handful of almonds or cashews instead of biscuits.
Cook rice by absorption rather than draining off the excess water, so fewer minerals are lost.
Rajgira laddoos or chikki made with jaggery make a magnesium-rich sweet for fasting days.

06Questions

What people ask about magnesium

Which Indian foods are richest in magnesium?

In IFCT 2017, cumin seeds lead at 442 mg per 100 g, then sunflower seeds at 413 mg, poppy seeds at 393 mg and sesame at 390 mg. Rajgira, almond and cashew follow at 325 mg, 318 mg and 307 mg.

How much magnesium does an adult need?

The ICMR-NIN 2020 magnesium figures are 440 mg a day for a 65 kg man and 370 mg for a 55 kg woman, with average requirements of 370 mg and 310 mg. A diet with whole grains, pulses and nuts usually meets them.

Is rajgira a good source of magnesium?

Yes. Rajgira, or amaranth seed, carries 325 mg of magnesium per 100 g, the only grain to make the top 25 in IFCT 2017. It is eaten on fasting days as laddoo, roti or porridge and suits gluten-free diets.

Do fruits contain much magnesium?

Most fresh fruits are low. Amla has just 6 mg per 100 g, and apple, pear, peach and plum 8 mg each in IFCT 2017. Fruit brings vitamin C and fibre, but magnesium comes mainly from grains, pulses, nuts and seeds.

07Keep exploring

Magnesium content of Indian foods

What magnesium does, and where Indian diets stand

All 242 foods ranked by magnesium

The top vegetarian sources of magnesium

Magnesium requirements for Indians

From a table to a plate

What people ask about magnesium

Which Indian foods are richest in magnesium?

How much magnesium does an adult need?

Is rajgira a good source of magnesium?

Do fruits contain much magnesium?

Related reading and tables

Calories (energy) content of Indian foods

Protein content of Indian foods

Dietary fibre content of Indian foods

Total fat content of Indian foods

Carbohydrate content of Indian foods

Calcium content of Indian foods

Iron content of Indian foods

Zinc content of Indian foods

Potassium content of Indian foods